Difficult Run, Virginia Weather
Fireflies rise from the lawn. Day 76 of spring. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Difficult Run weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJun 3Clear——81°52°—
- ThursdayJun 4Overcast——87°59°+6°
- FridayJun 5Overcast——88°62°+1°
- SaturdayJun 6Overcast11%—94°67°+6°
- SundayJun 7Showers35%0.09″81°65°-13°
- MondayJun 8Overcast23%—77°61°-4°
- TuesdayJun 9Mostly Clear17%—81°53°+4°
Ozone at AQI 80 — peak already passed at 1 PM under clear skies. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±4 points). Levels should ease through evening.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 80 — peak already passed at 1 PM under clear skies. Levels should ease through evening.
- Present
- AQI 80
- UV peak
- 3.8 at earlier today
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 80
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 6.2 µg/m³, PM10 at 8.0 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.78
- Wind
- light
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- background
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
The higher the clouds, the finer the weather.
- Moonrise
- 2:55 AM
- Moonset
- 12:10 PM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Fireflies rise from the lawn
Difficult Run at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 5°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: April 9 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jun 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest spring lettuce before it bolts. Sow heat-tolerant greens.
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of June 3, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | — | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | — | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
Difficult Run's warmest month is July (~75°F mean) and its coldest is January (~33°F). Rainfall peaks in May (4.3 inches) and bottoms out in February (2.6 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 3.3″ | 7 |
| February | 35° | 2.6″ | 6 |
| March | 42° | 3.8″ | 7 |
| April | 53° | 3.4″ | 7 |
| May | 62° | 4.3″ | 8 |
| June | 70° | 4.1″ | 8 |
| July | 75° | 4.3″ | 6 |
| August | 74° | 3.5″ | 6 |
| September | 67° | 4.2″ | 6 |
| October | 55° | 3.5″ | 5 |
| November | 45° | 3.1″ | 5 |
| December | 37° | 3.4″ | 7 |
Regional context
Difficult Run's baseline climate, derived from NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals at the nearest reporting station, swings from a January mean of 33°F to a July mean of 75°F — a 42°F seasonal arc typical of the mid-latitude bands. Annual precipitation runs about 43.6 inches spread across roughly 77 days with measurable rain or snow each year.
Rainfall stays relatively even across the calendar: May tops out at 4.3 inches across 8.3 days with measurable rain, and February settles around 2.6 inches across 5.5 rainy days — a comparatively narrow seasonal range. The balanced distribution lines Difficult Run up with places like Navy, VA, Fair Oaks, VA and Oakton, VA, all of which run on overlapping storm tracks rather than a single seasonal moisture source.
The frost-sensitive growing window opens around mid-April, when overnight lows reliably clear freezing for cool-season crops like peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes. Warm-soil crops — tomatoes, peppers, eggplant — wait until soil temperatures reach the mid-50s°F, usually two weeks past the last-frost date. The window closes around mid-November, when overnight lows resume dipping below freezing and frost-tender plants need protection or harvest. These dates represent 30-year central tendencies; actual year-to-year variation can shift either bookend by 7-14 days, and local microclimate features within Difficult Run — cold-air drainage on calm clear nights, slope aspect, distance from any nearby lake or river — can push the practical frost window earlier or later than the regional average.
Similar climates: Navy, VA, Fair Oaks, VA, Oakton, VA, Franklin Farm, VA, Reston, VA.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Difficult Run?
- Difficult Run's last spring frost typically falls around mid-April, and the first fall frost arrives around mid-November.
- What is the rainy season in Difficult Run?
- May is the wettest month with about 4.3 inches of rain on average; the city receives roughly 44 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Difficult Run?
- July is typically warmest, averaging about 75°F.
- What is the coldest month in Difficult Run?
- January is typically coldest, averaging about 33°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Difficult Run?
- Cool-season crops (peas, lettuce) can be sown around the last spring frost (mid-April); warm-season crops (tomatoes, peppers) wait until 1–2 weeks after.
- How many rainy days does Difficult Run get?
- Difficult Run averages about 77 rainy days per year.
- What hardiness zone is Difficult Run?
- Difficult Run's USDA hardiness zone is determined by its lowest average winter temperature; check the USDA's online lookup with the city ZIP for the current zone designation.
Climate
Difficult Run, Virginia sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate zone. January means hover near 33°F while July averages 75°F — a 42°F seasonal swing.
Across the year, Difficult Run receives about 44 inches of precipitation spread over roughly 77 rainy days.
The rhythm of the year is set by latitude (38.9°N), proximity to large water bodies, and elevation — all of which shape what grows here, when frost is likely, and what the weather story looks like day to day.